Refrigerated locker



July 30,1946. w. mamas-:m1 v2,404,851- REFRIGEHATED LOCKER Filed Jan. 23. 1942 2 sheets-smeet 1 ATTORNY uy 3%, w46.

F. w KNOWLEFS ET AL REFRIGERATED LOCKER Fil'ed Jan. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nm, MQW NM.

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ATTORNEY Patented July 30, 1946 REFRIGERATED LOCKER Frank W. Knowles and Hawley A. Dudley, Seattle, i Wash.; said Dudley assignor to said Knowles Application January 23, 1942, Serial No. 427,907

The present invention relates to improvements in refrigerated lockers. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in a type of refrigerated chamber having a large number of small compartments which may be rented separately. to different people.

In the past, refrigerated lockers have been unsatisfactory because in some instances the user has. had his whole body subjected Vto the refrigerating temperatures, and where such has not been the case, the equipment has been inadequate for large commercial installations.

Itis an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerated locker which will have a drawer of large dimensions, and which drawer may be easily -moved in and out of a refrigerated chamber.

Another object' of the present invention is the provisionpof `a refrigerated housing having opposed openings, an elongated drawer adapted to slide endwise through said openings, a closure for each of said openings, each of said closures being larger than itsrespective opening and overlying said opening, and means for engaging each of said closures with either said housing or said drawer while disengaging it from the other.

Devices constructed in accordance with the above, and which will attainthe objects of the present invention, are hereinafter described in detail and shown in the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a housing having two tiers of insulated closures behind which are their respective drawers.

Figure 2 is a sectional end view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the locking mechanism taken on the linea-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan View of the locking device taken on the line 4 4 of `Figure 3.

Figures, 6, and 7 are `Views corresponding to a portion of Figure 3 and showing the locking mechanism in various positions. Y

Figuresl and 2Ishow a refrigerated housing I which may be refrigerated byany suitable means for refrigerating and circulating air therethrough. The housing I comprises an insulated' top 2 and bottom 3 with insulated side frames 4, 5,which`have therein tiered openings 6 closed by suitable closures 'I which overlie the openings andt against the side frames 4, 5. Inside the housing I are arranged tiers of shells 8 one upon another. These shells are formed as tubes which are square in` cross section, and which extend across the housingfrom side to side with their lili'r 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-149) open ends abutting against the inside of the housing. The end openings of the shells are arranged in alignment with the openings 6 closed by the insulated doors l. Each shell 8 supports therein a rectangular and elongated drawer 9 which has its sides and ends closed as well as the top, with the exception of having removable locker closures I0, each one of which givesaccess to an individual locker. Each locker in a drawer 9 isseparated from its contiguous lockers by a partition II. The tubular construction of the drawer and the partitions separating the individual lockers gives a strong and rugged device. The `drawer may be constructed of half-inch plywood, have a cross section two feet square, and be sixteen .feet long.

Such a construction will hold about sixteenhundred pounds of produce and operate in a very satisfactory manner. Each of the drawers may be supported upon suitable rollers I2 placed thereunder and bearing at their ends in the side walls of theshell. `The rollers at the end of the shelll may 4have additional support and bearing surface bythe provision of vertical uprights I3 placed alongside the ends of each tier 'ofshells An end roller is, at times, called upon to support the total weight of the drawer. A top or holddown roller i4 is provided and placed centrally of the shell. This hold-down roller will prevent the inner end of the locker from tipping up as the other end is withdrawn. The sides of the shell may be provided with openings I5 for thecirculation of refrigerated air to the interior of the shell and around the drawer. The tiers of shells may be spaced apart to provide vertical air-circulating spaces I6, orducts. Also the top and bottom `2, 3 of the housing I may be spaced from the top and bottom of the tiers of shells to provide upperv I'I and lower I8 air-circulating ducts, so that refrigerated air may be circulated both along the tiers and up and `down between them. Such a construction will allow produce` placed in the drawers to be rapidly refrigerated by the circulation of cold circulation ducts I6, I1, I8, and through the openings l5 inthe shells and around the drawers. The closed and imperforate ends I9 of the drawers are spaced from the inside surface of the closures 'I a distance of four or five inches.` The .sides of this space between the drawer ends I9 and the closures I are closed by the sides of the openingsv 6 in the side frames 4, 5. 'I'his space between the closures and the drawer ends forms,V

in connection with the flexible seals .20 which contact both the inner portion of the frame and a plurality of small openings air in theY 'I carries a locking mechanism which is placed in the air check pocket between the back of the closure and the end of the adjacent drawer. The sides of the frame openings 6 are provided" with""suitable frame bolt-sockets 30 adapted""t""i"eceiv tle'r'rlds' spacfedf'froxf each'is'ide of the follower plate 54,

of frame locking bolts or locking members 3j@` The ends of the drawers are providedsuit able drawer bolt-sockets 32 which in theprese'nt instance are shown in the form of strap loops at- 'ahgto 'the .ends la of.: theV drawers. i These. drawer bolt-.sockets e2. are adapted to receire the. ends Qi. drawer lodging. bolts. 3.3 orv av portion of. the looking members Asxsiiowrl in the. drawings, the drawer; locking bolts are carried. by. the frame lockingboltsfti in the formiof. anY offset. finger attached thereto.' The .two separate .bolts and sockets are arranged soV thatA as'a'frame. locking. bolt is about t0. ,ieaveits socketfthe drawer lock: ing bolt carriedtherewith .is just entering. its. respective socket.I It will-thusfbe seen that ifthe proplerisokets arein registry with .the .proper bQlts-the bolts will. not, be entirely unlocked. from -the3sockets in ther-frameand the drawerj at the.

same time. The; inner.; ends oi the .bolt'sarecar-- i riedon` boltplates 34.. ."Ine bolt plates? are connectedi by* means of 'atie-bar 135. so :that all .the4 boltplates will operate together.; The bolt...plates liareipivoted .by pinsA 3.6. onfmounting brackets 3].,that space them awayiromthebackof; thev closureV Fl. The outer tends. of the bolts. are: supported-in' openingsv insuitable brackets.' 33 and.. ton.y iThej-boltsupporting. plates :34;may be rotatsl ed. abodtftheir pivots 3o fby the 'insertion ofan operating key 'SS'KEigure 8). through -'ant opening fgirr'the :closure 'is which key* will "fit in fa socket 4l xeditonfa pivot .pin' 36.2which is in'turn secured. toj aiboltit-plate 311. -Rotation .of 'a socket. 4;! will., rotate the attached bolt. plate which', through the i tief-bar Si; Avwill .rotate :the other bolt. plateandL. thus all thek bolts will. be actuatedaandithe 'closure'. i maybe securedfto'eithertlie'drawer or the ins'ui"v latedhousing. "lVI .Iniorder tofsafeguard against removalrofia closurellifrom a drawer whencthedrawer vis'extendedout 'E of theA refrigerated chamber," or" to prevent removal 'of aiclosurelfrom .the rframe fwhen' the drawer is not vin'registrytoreceive'the'drawer locking bolt 33, there is provided"a"registry'lock ing:r means which will .prevent operation" of'. the

bolt irr the propersock'ets' areV not; in registry andi.

adapted :to receiveltheibolts asthey'are moved. .fromone set of sockets to the other. The regis` try .locking means has. as its principalcompon'ent a feeleripiniilwhichis of such a' lengthtl'iatlone endwill, .when theclosure is in place, just touch the'side ofthe closure `opening liandthe other endu ofthepinwill. just touch 'a stop 5|. which is sey cured tothe end. I9 of the`drawer.'. Thefe'el'er pin mayrbemade inthe forni ofa'i flatiba'r 'with its' face parallel tothe drawer and closuregand. Vthe .pin :may be supported at. one "endfin thefbolt bracket SBAand'inthe other endin af'eelerpin bracket 52. `The openings in .brackets 38A1'and-.

52'which supportthei-,feeler pin are 'lo'rigtedlto 75. moved outwardly fromthe'husing; The'drawozaA drawer and its stop 5l;

4 allow the pin to move from and toward the adjacent bolt. However, the bracket openings are narrow enough to prevent turning of the pin. As long as the feeler pin 50 is held between its stops, a cam 53 secured to an adjacent bolt and the cam follower plate 54 secured to the feeler Y pin, will act, upon motion of the bolt, to give the feeler pin motion toward and from the bolt. The loraclgetopenngs for thepin" will allow this motion.' femeler pin is not in position, then-'the cam as it noves in the direction of that Stop will, Jthrough rthe claro fiollower plate 54, cause movement of the feeler pin 5l in that direction. When the fee'le pin 5l! is,` held between its stops, there is about the thickness of the plate, a locking lug 'Qn the same. plate ba'sewhich is securedto. the

Each of the locking lugshas 5.8 opposite' to. 'the other. and. :folloy'ver` when' such is 'depressed. These lips form av narrow slot. slightly. wider than the follower plate 54. Iffthe move; ment oi the ieelerjpin is ito, the right, as. shown in Figure 6, then the cam follower. plate'i will move. against the right. hand 'cam'iolloxierV plate locking. lug 55. andthen the: carri follower. plate will begin rto moore away. from the bolt. but the upper edge of the. plate' will lock. under the 'lip' 5t. attached tothe upper.. part. of. the rightlockig lug. Tbiswill pr'eventupward movement of the cam plate. and prevent. iurther'. movement of the' cam andthe bolt carrying it.v This will prevent withdrawal of the bolt from the frame socket This in turn will prevent removal'o'fthe door Aof the .closure from the.` frame in' the absence oflthe..

The action; is the s'ame '3 3. 4arel being. withi- 'The cam back. of the' closure.. a projecting., lip 5S, just abate cam it. the. fdrawer. locking. bolts drawn from. theirrespective. sockets.

53. will move .to the left and ifo-tl'iefrarneacting the cam. follower. plate i .willthen bear against. the left lockinglug "Iar1d` as a stop is riotin position lock under its lip 5d, 'and Willrthusprevts'ujl cient motion to withdrawlthedrawelockirgbolt from'itsfrespective'socketf The.l operation ofltheabove describedL device is, os` fouows z 1 with the drawers au. in position endif filled with produce, refrigerated air maybe if: culated. in. the upper an'dll'ower airl passageways l1 .andi sanddowri between the tiers enroiignjtriei: Vertical air duct'sml'l andaroud'the"drawrsfgl by passage'tlirough the'openigs 'lfir'i th'sliells 8. This circulation of refrigerated air-willlsivz to, freez'e andikeep: frozen such' produce as `may be Vcontainedin each ofthe individuallockrsi Of. course it vis desirablewheh 'large Varcunts-"f produce ducegbe previously lfrozen in a separate'compartment, lsuchV as a qui'ckffreezingl'compartimento where the temperature lower than necessary.. in a; storage; locker., and where. the circulation `may. vbei more, rapid..to.eile'clrv a quick freezing. "Normally, allothle` insulated'v closures. 'Lare lockediinto thehousi'ngside frames; 'aand are. free. from' the drawers;` When it is.

desired to. remove. a.. drawer. .from the-hou`sing,. al`

closure 1-,.'a'nd.'th locking mechanism.. isopertdo,

to unlock theclo'sure from theframe. and loclditi. onto the drawer; 'The handle n.the HOOrniay.. thenbe pulled u'pon andiithe closure andodrawer.;l

However, n the stop fof eini end of the may. be,inaintainedomi'ich `V with weights of sixteen hundred pounds or more of produce. Entrance to individual lockers in the drawer may be had through openings in the top of the drawer which are closed by separate closures l0 and locks. When the patron has removed or placed in his particular locker the desired material, the drawer may then be returned to its closed position, the closing shock being absorbed by the air check pocket at the inner end of the drawer, and the locking mechanism operated to secure the closure to the frame again and release it from the drawer. The closure key upon being inserted in the opening 4t will lit into a socket 4 I. Rotation of the key -will then turn this socket and the bolt plate to which it is connected. This in turn will rotate one bolt plate 34 and through a tie-bar 35 will rotate the other bolt plate. Rotation of the bolt plates will operate the bolts in and out of their sockets. As the frame bolts are withdrawn from their sockets, the drawer locking bolts 4will be inserted into their sockets, and vice versa. Removal ofthe bolts from one set of sockets if the other set is not in proper registry is prevented by the feeler pin 5l which is designed to have its ends ride against stops carried by the frame and the drawer. If either stop is not in position, a camming device wil1 serve to lock the bolts so that they can not be moved.

The space I6 between the tiers of shells 8, and the overlap of` the closures l from the edges of the openings E is such that the space between the edges of closures in adjacent tiers is considerably7 less than the thickness of an insulated closure I. The closures may be sealed to the face of the housing by inserting a felt sheet between the closure and the housing. The overlap of the closure should be equal to at least the thickness of the closure, so that the insulation value across the face of the overlap will be equal to the insulation value of the thickness of the closure. If this overlap of the closure is six inches, then the distance between the sides of the drawers in adjacent tiers is a little over twelve inches, thirteen and one-half. This distance is suiiicient room to provide for the shell walls and still leave ample room for air circulation in the vertical passageway I6. If the closures were to be hinged to the side frames 4, 5, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to open adjacent closures in opposite tiers without interference, let alone to open such adjacent drawers and withdraw adjacent drawers at the same time. Tapered or plug-type closures Without special offset hinges would have Vto be opened more than ninety degrees in order to clear the drawer as it was being withdrawn. The present construction of overlapping closures enables the tiers and closures to be set closely together and eliminates the necessity for using hinges. The'provision of oversized air ducts between the tiers is costly in the rst instance, as wel1 as in maintenance, due to the poorer circulation and the increased heat transfer. The use of such overlapping insulated closures is very desirable,

even if the drawer is to be pulled in only one direction, that is, it leaves the housing through only one opening.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our device, we claim:

1. In a cabinet structure, a housing including a side wall` said side wall having an opening therein, a drawer supported within the housing for movement outwardly through said opening, a closure member for said opening, a locking member moveably carried by the closure member, said housing having a socket therein adjacent said opening for receiving a portion ofrsaid locking member and maintaining the closure member in position closing said opening, a keeper carried by an end of the drawer, and said keeper being positioned to receive therein a portion of the locking member as it is withdrawn from the socket to detachably secure theY closure member to the drawer. i

2. In a cabinet structure, a housing including a wall, said wall having an opening therein, a drawer supported within the housing and adapted to be moved endwise outwardly through said opening, a closure member for said opening, a plurality of locking members mounted for sliding movement on the inner face of the closure member, said housing having a plurality of sockets therein for receiving portions of said locking members and maintaining the closure member in position closing said opening, ay plurality of keepers `mounted on the end of the drawer and positioned to receive therein portions of said locking members as the same are withdrawn from the sockets to releasably secure the closure member to the drawer.

3. In a refrigerator cabinet, a housing including opposite side walls, said side walls having aligned openings therein, a. drawer within the housing supported to be moved outwardly through either of said openings, a closure member for one opening, a second closure member for the other opening, a locking member mounted for movement on the first closure member, a locking member mounted for movement on the second closure member, said housing having a socket therein adjacent each opening :for receiving portions of the respective locking members and maintaining the closure members in positions closing said openings, a keeper carried by each end of the drawer, and each keeper being positioned to receive therein a portion of the associated locking member as it is withdrawn from the socket to detachably secure the associated closure member to the drawer.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet, a housing including opposite side walls, said sidewalls having aligned openings therein, a tubular shell having open ends supported within the housing in register with said openings, an elongated drawer arranged within said tubular shell and adapted to slide endwise therein and outwardly through either of said openings, a closure member for each of said openings, movable locking members carried by each closure member, keepers on each end of said drawer, said housing having sockets therein for receiving portions of said locking members to maintain the closure members in positions closing said openings, and said keepers being positioned to receive therein other portions of said locking members as they are withdrawn from said sockets.

FRANK W. KNOWLES. HAWLEY A... DUDLEY. 

